Brake hanger dampener



April 30, 1940..- F. sHAEFER v BRAKE 4HANGER DMPENER Filed June 22, 1958 -41 Sheets-Sheet l v ENT OR. AdM/hic. F2, (bw, v

A ATTORNEYS.

April 30, 1940- F. scHAr-:FER

BRAKE HANGER DAMPENER Filed Junev 22, 19:58

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS.

:A INVENTOR. We uff I @Mm/MMV v MTN/asses 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR' a, m F

l F. SCHAEFER BRAKE HANGER DAMPENER Filed June 22, 1958 #zzz ,Ullll l April 30, 1940.

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April 30, 1940.A F. scHAEFER BRAKE HANGER DAMPENER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 22, 1938 INVENTOR M Sum a@ ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 30, 1940 UNIT-Eo STATES PATENT ori-ics 9 Claims.

This invention relates to railway brake rigging, and more vparticularly to means for dampening the vibration of brake hangers.

Railway brake hangers used with freight cars are generally connected to truc-k frame brackets through the medium of plates or shoes mounted in the brackets for receiving the wear resulting from movements of the hangers therein. As these shoes are intended to be replaceable when worn,

it is highly desirable that they be readily insertable into and removable from the cast truck frame brackets. The plate-receiving openings in these brackets vary somewhat in size, and because of this variation in size the wear-plates must be of a size to enter the `smallest bracket openings encountered. Accordingly, in many cases the plates iit loosely in the bracket openings, allowing them to vibrate .and rattle. This causes the engaging surfaces of the brackets and shoes to wear rapidly, thereby permitting greater relative `movements and consequently 'greater wear. Even in cases where the wear-plates it snugly in the bracket openings when first inserted, they eventually work loose and move around in those openings. For similar reasons the upper cross member of a brake hanger vibrates and wears on its Wear-plate seat.

Brake hangers, whether of the type used for freight cars or for passenger cars, are provided at their lower ends with cross members by which f brake heads are supported. These cross members are disposed in openings in the brakel heads,

and here again it is virtually impossible to provide a snug fit. Consequently, the` vibration between hangers andheads causes rapid wear at A their points of connection. 5 It is among the objects of this invention to provide means for dampening or substantially eliminating Vibration of a brake hanger on the surfaces against which it wears, whether those surfaces be wear-plates or brake heads. More specic objects are toprovide Aa wear-plate which can be easily inserted into and removed from bracket openings and which is tightly held in place in such brackets at all times, to provide means for rmly holding the upper cross member of a brake Ahanger on its seat in the wearplate, and to likewise hold a brake head down on the c-ross member of the brake hanger that supk ports it.

According to this invention a wear-plate provided with a brake hanger seat is mounted in the usual manner in a bracket projecting laterally from a railway truck frame, resilient means, preferably in the form of a metal spring plate, is

disposed in the opening between the bracket vjaws where it is yieldingly held between the upper wall of the opening and the top of the brake hanger cross member mounted on the hanger seat. Thisy resilient means thereby presses the 5 brake hanger cross member against its seat, and through the medium of the cross member presses or biases the wear-plate against the lower wall of the bracket opening to prevent wear of the engaging surfaces due to vibration. The wear- 10 plate is preferably U-s'haped with an opening in its upper portion through which the resilient means extends. A brake head is supported by the lower cross member of the vhanger in the usual manner. with a transverse opening that receives the cross member. Resilient means is associated with the head for holding the head down on the cross member. Preferably, the head is provided below the hanger Awith a recess which is openl at its @0 upper end. Resilient means, such as a coil spring,is compressed in this recess between the hanger and head to bias the upper wall of thel heads transverse opening down against the upper or inner bearing surface of the cross member 1,25 of the hanger. i The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a fragmentary view of a freight car truck provided with my hanger dampening means; Fig. 2 is an enlarged 30 side view of the brake head assembly; Fig. 3 is a transverse section, taken'on the line III-III of Fig. 2, of the dampener in the brake head; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of a passenger car truck showing a modification of this invention; Fig. y5 is an enlarged side View of the bra-ke head assembly used withy the passenger car truck; Fig. 6 is an end view of the brake head as viewed from the left in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is an enlarged side View of a brake hanger bracket in which my Wearo plate assembly is mounted; Fig. 8- is a plan view or" the Wear-plate assembly mounted in a bracket, the upper portion of which has been cut away; Fig. 9' is'a vertical section taken on the line IX-IX of Fig. 8; Fig. l0 is a front view of the 45 bracket and wear-plate assembly; and Figs. 11 and 12 are vertical sections taken on the lines XI-XI and XII--XIL respectively, Qi Fig. 7.

Referring to Fig, 1 of the drawings a brake hanger l is shown suspended from a bracket'Z connected to the side frame 3 of a freight car truck.r The lower end of the'hanger supports a brake head 4 by which the brake shoe 6 is carried. As shown more clearly in Figs. 2 and 3,

the brake head is provided With a transverse That is, the head is provided 1s opening I which receives the lower cross member 8 of the hanger. The upper wall of this opening rests on the upper bearing surface 9 of cross member 8, that is, the bearing surface that faces inwardly of the hanger.

It is a feature of this invention that the lower cross member 8 of the brake hanger is held in the brake head in such a manner as to substantially eliminate vibration between them so that wear of the engaging surfaces will be reduced to a minimum. This is accomplished by resilient means associated with the head and hanger for holding the head down on the hanger cross member at all times. For this purpose the brake head is provided directly below the hanger with a recess II, the upper end of which opens into transverse opening Compressed in this recess between the brake hanger and a bottom plate I2 that closes the lower end of the recess is a pair of coil springs I3 which thereby hold the head down on cross member 8. It is desirable to separate the springs from the cross member by means of a bearing block I4 engaging the lower surface of cross member 8. 'Ihis block is slidable in recess II in which it is positioned and retained by means of laterally and downwardly projecting extensions I6 beneath shoulders I7 formed at the upper end of recess I I.

When cross memberv 8 is inserted in b-rake head opening 'l and turned to its proper position (Fig. 2) it presses bearing block I4 down against the resistance of coil springs I3. Consequently, the upper surface of opening 'I and upper surface 9 of cross member 8 are constantly biased toward each other and held firmly together at all times so that the hanger can not vibrate in the brake head and wear the engaging surfaces.

Figs. 4 to 6 illustrate the invention as applied to passenger car trucks. In such trucks the brake hanger 2| resembles a lever pivoted to the side frame at its upper end and connected to the hanger on the opposite side of the truck by a tie rod 22 passing through its lower end. This tie rod constitutes the lower cross member of the hanger by which the brake head 23 is supported. The brake head is bifurcated for vreceiving the lower end of the hanger, and is provided with transverse openings through which cross member 22 extends.

In accordance with this invention the clearance between cross member 22 and the brake head is taken up by means of a coil spring 24 disposed in a recess 26 in the head directly below the hanger. This recess is open at its upper end so that a bearing block 2l may project from the recess into engagement with the lower end of the hanger. Coil spring 24 is compressed between the bottom of this block and the top of a bottom plate 28 which closes the lower end of recess 24. The coil spring biases the bearing block 2l against the bottom of the brake hanger, whereby cross member 22 is held rmly against the upper surfaces of the brake head openings through which it passes.

My invention, as embodied in the brake hanger bracket of a freight car truck, is illustrated in Fig. 1 and in greater detail in Figs. '7 to 12. Referring to Figs. 'l and l0, a bracket 2,1 which is adapted to be connected to a railway truck side frame in any suitable manner, is provided with laterally projecting upper and lower spaced jaws or walls 32 that form an opening 33 open on three sides. This opening is for the purpose of receive ing the upper yoke or cross member 34 of brake hanger I. To prevent the hanger from wearing the bracket, a substantially U-shaped wearing shoe or wear-plate 36 is detachably mounted in opening 33 with its inner end provided with a concave hanger seat 3l. 'I'he wear-plate is preferably provided near the outer end of its lower portion with down turned anges 38 that overlap the underlying portion of the bracket in order to aid in centering the shoe in the opening and to prevent the side arms of the hanger from wearing the bracket. To lock the Wear-plate in the bracket opening, its upper and lower portions are provided with aligned holes 4I which register With similar holes 4?. in the upper and lower walls of the bracket. A suitable retaining member 43 is detachably disposed in these four holes.

It is a feature of this invention that the hanger and wear-plate are held in the bracket opening in such a manner as to substantially eliminate vibration between them, and consequent wear of their engaging surfaces. This is accomplished by means of a resilient member associated with the bracket and plate for holding the hanger and plate firmly against their supporting surfaces a-t all times. As shown in Fig. 9, the resilient member is preferably in the form of a generally U-shaped spring plate which receives the wearplate between its upper and lower legs 46 and 47. The lower leg extends into a recess 48 in the lower surface of the wear-plate behind its lower fastener hole 4I and beneath seat 31 so that the spring plate does not raise the wear-plate off the the lower bracket wall (Figs. 9 and l2). The upper leg of the spring plate preferably extends out to approximately the end of the upper bracket wall to increase its resiliency and is therefore provided with a hole 49 in line with holes 4I and 42 to permit fastener 43 to extend therethrough. The outer portion of the uppermost surface of the wear-plate has a longitudinal recess 5I therein receiving upper leg 46 of the spring plate (Figs. 8, 9, 10 and l1) so that the latter does not prevent the wear plate from engaging the upper bracket wall. As shown in Fig. 9, leg 46 and the wear-plate are provided with cooperating shoulders 52 that hold holes 4I and 49 in line while the spring and plate are being driven into bracket opening 33.

To permit the spring plate to bear against the top of upper cross member 34 of the brake hanger aswell as against upper wall 32 of the bracket, the portion of the wear-plate above its brake hanger seat is provided with an opening 56 (Figs. 8, 9, and 12) that also extends through the upper portion of the wear-plate back Wall. As shown in Fig. 9, the inner portion of the upper leg of the spring plate is bent downwardly through this l.'

opening for engaging the top of the hanger cross member, and is provided with a curved lower bearing surface for the cross member. In its normal undistorted form this downwardly bent portion is spaced from seat 3'I a distance less than the thickness of the hanger cross member, as indicated by broken lines in Fig. 7, and the outer portion of the upper leg rests flat on the wearplate. Consequently, when the hanger is seated on the wear-plate and turned to its proper position, it distorts the upper leg of the spring plate upwardly to the position shown in Figs. 7 'and 9. As a result, the spring plate presses the hanger down tightly on its seat and also holds the wearplate firmly against the lower wall of the bracket. In this way vibration and undesirable slack between the hanger and wear-plate and between the wear-plate and bracket is substantially eliminated and their period of serviceability materially prolonged.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle y and con'- struction of my invention and have illustrated and described what I nowvconsider to represent its best embodiments. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope `of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. The combination with a brake hanger bracket having upper and lower walls forming an opening between them, and a brake hanger having an upper cross member, of a wear-plate disposed in said opening and provided with a brake hanger seat receiving said cross member, separate resilient means disposed in said opening and bearing against said upper wall and the top of said cross member, said bracket walls and plate being provided with aligned openings, and a retaining member disposed in said aligned openings for locking the plate in the bracket opening.

2. The combination with a brake hanger bracket having upper and lower'walls forming an opening between them, and a brake hanger having an upper 'cross member, of a wear-plate disposed in said opening for supporting said cross member, anda spring plate having spaced upper and lower legs disposed in said opening, one portion of the upper leg o-f said spring plate bearing againstsaid upper wall of the bracket and another portion of-said leg bearing against the top of said cross member.

3. The combination with a brake `hanger bracket having upper and lower walls forming an yopening between them, and a brakel hanger having an upper cross member, of a wear-plate disposed in said opening for supporting said cross member, and a substantially U-shaped spring plate disposed in said opening with the outer end portion of its upper leg engaging said upper wall of the bracket and its lower leg disposed between the wear plate and the lower wall Y of the bracket, the inner portion of said upper leg engaging the top'of said cross member and pressing it downwardly against the wear-plate.

4. The combination with a brake hanger bracket having upper and lower walls forming an' opening between them, and a brake hanger having an upper cross member, of a wear-plate disposed in said opening and seated on :said lower wall of the bracket forsupporting said cross member, the lower surface of said plate being provided with a recess opening rearwardly, and a curved spring plate disposed in said bracket opening with its lower portion disposed in said recess and its upper portion compressedr between the top of said cross member and said upper wall of the bracket. f

5. The combination with a brake hanger bracket having upper and lower walls forming an opening between them, and a brake hanger having an upper cross member, of a substantially U-shaped wear-plate disposed in said opening for supporting said cross member, the upper portion of said wear-plate being provided with an opening therethrough, and resilient means extending through said wear-plate opening and bearing against said upper wall and the top of said cross member.

6. 'I'he combination with a brake hanger brackethaving upper and lower walls forming an vopening between them, and a brake hanger having an upper cross member, of a substantiallyk U-shaped wear-plate disposed in said opening for supporting saidy cross member, the upperportion of said plate being providedwith an opening therethrough, and a substntially U-shaped spring plate disposed in said bracket opening with its lower portion disposed between said wear-plate and the lower wall o1' the bracket, the upper portion of said spring plate extending through said wear-plate opening and being compressed between the top of said cross member and the upper wall of the bracket.

- 7. 'I'he combination with a brake hanger bracket having upper and lower walls forming an opening between them, and a brake hanger having an upper cross member, of a substantially ueshaped wear-plate disposedin said opening and provided with a seat receiving said cross member, the upper portionof said plate being provided with an opening therethrough, and a 'substantially U-shaped spring plate disposed in said opening with its lower portion between said wear-plate and the lower wall of the bracket, the upper surface of said wear-plate being provided witha longitudinal recess, andthe upper portion of said spring plate extending through said wear-plate opening and into said recess, whereby it engages said upper wall and the top of said cross member and biases them apart.

8. A brake hangerwear-platein the form of a substantially U-shaped member provided with a braker hanger seat, the upper portion of the plate being provided with an opening adapted to receive resilient means compressed between a brake hanger and the upper wall of a hanger FREDERIC SCHAEFERu cc 

